A Black Rose
by brokenlies
Summary: TP Trunks and Marron have been going out for as long as Pan can remember, but lately, they have been having troubles and Trunks is turning to Pan for comfort…which leads to a one night stand… You know what happens after that… -¤Chapter Three Up¤-
1. Prologue: Rinse

**A Black Rose Revised - Prologue: Rinse**

**By **YunaAngelofHell/ThA PsYcHiCk

**Rating: **PG-13

**Genre: **Romance/Angst****

**Summary: **{Revised} T/P, A/U Trunks and Marron have been going out for as long as Pan can remember, but lately, they have been having troubles and Trunks is turning to Pan for comfort…which leads to a one night stand… You know what happens after that… -¤Prologue uploaded¤-

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the DB/Z/GT characters, and I don't own the song "Rinse" by Vanessa Carlton.****

**A/N: **I finally update! Yay! This really isn't an update, though. I rewrote the whole story, and slightly changed the plot because I didn't like where it was going. I hope you like the new and improved version of A Black Rose. If you want to read the old version, e-mail me at _Chanesechic@hotmail.com_ or just go to my website. (It's in my profile.)

**Current Ages: **Pan-17 | Trunks-27 | Marron-25 | Goten-26 | Bra-16

She'd do anything to sparkle in his eye

She would suffer, she would fight and compromise

She's been wishin' on the stars that shine so bright

For answers to questions that will haunt her tonight

She must rinse this all away

She can't hold him this way

She must rinse this all away

She can't love him this way

How she'd be soothed, how she'd be saved if he could see

She needs to be held in his arms to be freed

But everything happens for reasons that she will never understand

'Till she knows that the heart of a woman will never be found in the arms of a man

She must rinse this all away

She can't hold anybody this way

She must rinse this all away

She can't love him…

And if she runs away she fears she won't be followed

What could be worse than leaving something behind

And as the depth of ocean slowly becomes shallow

It's loneliness she finds…

If only he were mine

She'd do anything to sparkle in his eye

She would suffer, she would fight and compromise

She's been wishin' on the stars that shine so bright

For answers to questions that will haunt her tonight

She must rinse him

She must rinse him

She can't rinse him

She can't rinse him

She can't, she won't, she must rinse him

She can't, she won't, she must rinse him

She must rinse this all away

She can't hold him this way

She must rinse this all away

She can't hold him this way…

Well, that's the Prologue. The reason I chose to put this song as the prologue is because it really doesn't fit with a certain chapter, but with the whole story…see what I mean? Anyways, the song is "Rinse" by Vanessa Carlton. I'm going to write the next chapter soon…but don't wait up, I procrastinate a lot. I'll try to get it up in about a week, at the most. Please review! ^_^


	2. Ch 1: Proposals

**A Black Rose Revised - Chapter 1: Proposals**

**By **YunaAngelofHell

**Rating: **PG-13

**Genre: **Romance/Angst

**Summary: **{Revised} T/P, A/U Trunks and Marron have been going out for as long as Pan can remember, but lately, they have been having troubles and Trunks is turning to Pan for comfort…which leads to a one night stand… You know what happens after that…

**Current Ages: **Pan-17 | Trunks-27 | Marron-25 | Goten-26 | Bra-16

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters in this story…so far…Oh, and I don't own the PS2 either.

**A/N: **Well, so much for a week. It's been more than a month since my last update, I'm so sorry! It seems that I write better late at night… Well, at least I got another chapter out, and it's really long, too!

Since the italics don't seem to work for me, the text in ' ' are thoughts, and the words with emphasis are bold. One day, if I have time, I'll type it up on WordPad, cause I think it'll work on there, if I use html. I wanted to upload today, so…yeah.

*******

**Ding, Dong!**

                Marron's head snapped up. 'Oh no,' she thought, 'He's here already…that means that I really **do **have to tell him,' she realized. The blonde had been thinking and stressing over this for days. She had already decided to tell him today. Tonight, during their dinner date.

                "Marron! Trunks is here!"

                How was she going to tell him? They had been together for over two years…he's going to be crushed. Marron gazed at a picture propped up on her drawer. It was taken a year ago, during a company picnic at Capsule Corp. Trunks, being the vice-president of the company, was wearing a formal suit, even though it was an informal picnic. Marron had been ready to crash the little party by bringing water balloons and had bombarded her boyfriend with them. So, in the end, when the picture was taken, Trunks was standing next to Marron, while Marron was hugging him, completely dry. Marron smiled. 'Those were good times,' she thought sadly, 'But…' Her eyes traveled to a small picture taped to her mirror. 'I've found someone better…Goten…he's sweeter, less arrogant, more innocent, and he's a better—'

                Eighteen knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts. "Marron? Are you okay in there? You've kept Trunks waiting for over five minutes."

                "Come on in, Mom," Marron called. She had almost forgotten about her date, lost in her thoughts.

                Eighteen opened the door and walked inside the room. "Are you okay, Marron? You haven't been yourself for the past few days." She sat down on Marron's bed and looked at her daughter worriedly.

                Marron sighed and sat back in her chair. Should she tell her about her predicament? …Nah. It would cause even more trouble for her. "It's nothing. I just zoned out there for a couple seconds there."

                "Oh, all right then," Eighteen stood up. "You shouldn't keep Trunks waiting." Then she added with a smile, "Rumor has it that he's going to propose tonight," the cyborg winked. "It's about time you moved out of here. I don't think people your age should still be living with their parents, you know."

                "Mom!"

                Eighteen laughed and left the room. "You should get going!" she called. "You wouldn't want to keep your future husband waiting!"

                "Grr…" Marron huffed and grabbed her purse. She checked herself in the mirror and headed down the stairs to her "future husband". 'If Trunks **does** propose, what am I gonna say? …This is going to be worse than I thought…'  The blonde woman put on a forced smile and opened the door.

                "Hi, Trunks!"

*******

                'What's taking her so long?' Trunks thought. He began to pace around the front porch. 'Why tonight, of all nights? This is killing me…' He reached into his pockets and encircled his fingers around a small velvet box. 'Tonight is the night…'

                Suddenly, the front door opened. "Hi Trunks!" Marron's beautiful smile shone; but Trunks thought he saw a look of worry and fear flicker in her eyes. …Maybe it was just his imagination.

                "Hey, Marron. What took you so long? Are you okay?" Trunks took a step forward and took her hand in his. They began to walk to Trunks's car.

                Marron's smile faltered. "Uh, it was nothing, really. I was just finishing off my makeup," she lied. "I wanted to make myself pretty for our date; and for you."

                Trunks laughed lightly. "You don't have to spend fifteen minutes to make yourself pretty for me." They arrived at his car. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, even under all that makeup." He opened the passenger car door and Marron got inside the car.

                "Aww, you're so sweet, Trunks," Marron said, smiling sincerely now. "Thanks." ''How can I tell him now? How can I tell him that I betrayed his trust, when he loves me so much?' She sighed and looked down at her hands as Trunks settled in the driver's seat and started the car. Deep down, Marron knew that this could possibly be the worst night of her life. 

                But unfortunately for her, Trunks believed it would be the best night of his life, thinking he would end it with a fiancé.

***

                "Ugh…ah. Oof! No! No…! Argh. Yes…yes. YES! WOOHOO!" Pan yelled and jumped up and down on the bed she was laying on a few moments ago. "Woohoo! **Yeah**, baby!"

                "Damn!" Goten threw down his PlayStation 2 controller and turned to Pan. "It's not fair! You cheated! Where'd you learn those moves, anyway?" he asked his celebrating niece.

                Pan continued to jump up and down on her bed, grinning widely. Obviously, beating Goten at a video game was a very big deal to her.  "Trunks taught me how to play better a couple weeks ago," she did a little flip in the air as she jumped and squealed like the little girl she wasn't. "I can't believe I beat you! I've never been able to beat you at this game before!"

                "That's cause Trunks taught you how to cheat…" Goten grumbled to himself.

                "Hey, I heard that!" Pan stopped jumping. "Trunks doesn't cheat, he just knows how to use the characters correctly," she said, defending one of her oldest best friend. "That's what he taught me. You want me to prove it?"

                "You mean a rematch?" he asked eagerly. When Pan nodded, he yelled, "Bring it on!" He bent down, picked up his controller and started up the game. 

                Pan smirked and picked up her controller. "You're going down!" She made herself comfortable on her bed and they began playing, eyes glued to the television screen as if it was the only thing that ever existed.

                Suddenly, the door slammed open and Bra burst in, out of breath. "Hey guys!! Guess what?!"

                Goten took his eyes off the television screen to see who had interrupted their little duel. Big mistake. Never take your eyes off the T.V. screen when you're playing against someone like Pan.

                "YYYeeeeeeessssssss!!" Pan began to jump up and down on her bed again. "I won, I won, I won!" she chanted. "Seeee…I **told** you that I didn't cheat!"

                "Wait a minute! That wasn't my faulty, Bra came in and messed up my concentration!" Goten argued. He threw his controller down again. "I want another rematch!"

                Pan was about to respond, when Bra's voice cut in. "Oh, my god, you guys are so immature, playing video games like little kids. You're supposed to be adults!" she exclaimed.

                Pan had already stopped her jumping and was shifting uncomfortably. She cleared her throat uneasily and replied, "I'm only seventeen years old…so…I'm not really an adult yet…therefore, I can still play video games and have fun right?" The prideful quarter-saiyan looked at Bra, as if challenging her to fire back with an insult of some sort.

                Bra let out a frustrated sigh of defeat and turned to Goten, silently daring him to try to defy her.

                Seeing no other way out, Goten changed the subject. "Uh, Bra, didn't you have something to tell us?" he asked hopefully.

                Bra's mood did a one-eighty and her face lit up brightly. "Oh yeah! I have the most incredible news! You will not believe this! It's amazing, it's—"

                "All right, get to the point!" Pan yelled.

                Bra humphed and decided not to let the comment get to her. "…Uub proposed to me!" She shrieked excitedly.

                An eerie silence filled the room. Only the sound of crickets could be heard, which was unusual, because it was early in the afternoon. Pan could almost swear she saw a tumbleweed pass by. "Bra…? Do you know that you're only sixteen years old?"

                "Yeah, why?"

                "Oh, no reason. Thought you should know." Goten's face was blank. Pan's was the exact replica. Blank and void of emotion. A few more moments of silence passed by.

                Then everything exploded. Goten and Pan started to talk at the same time, so fast that Bra could hardly understand a word they were saying.

                "—you crazy?"

                "—what were you thinking—"

                "—sixteen years old—"

                "—what will Vegeta—"

                "—he's gonna freak—"

                "—**sixteen**—"

                "—what about school—"

                "—he's too old—"

                "Whoa, whoa, whoa, **whoa**," Bra shouted. She held her hands in front of her to stop her best friend's uncle and his nieces' ramblings. "You don't understand, age doesn't matter. I'm in love with Uub, and besides, we've agreed that we won't get married until I graduate from school. We've got it all worked out."

                "What about Vegeta? He's going to rip your head off," Pan reconsidered this. "Well, maybe not **your **head, but he'll rip **somebody's **head off." Goten nodded in agreement. "He's way too overprotective of you to let you get engaged at sixteen," he said, sounding uncharacteristically.

                Bra smiled sheepishly. "Uh-oh," Pan whispered. "Well, you see, I haven't actually told him or Mom yet, but," she added quickly before they could respond, "I already organized an engagement party on Saturday night, and we're gonna tell them then, alright?"

                "Wow, you're pretty smart for a young sixteen-year-old," Goten said quietly. "How long ago did he propose to you, exactly?"

                "Well, it was about a week ago. Trunks, Uub and I have been working hard on the situation since then," she laughed quietly. "I guess people will do anything for love…"

*******

                Marron fidgeted in her seat. She couldn't stand the silence. They had already arrived at the restaurant and placed the order with the waiter. Neither of them had said a word since then. After a while, Marron broke the ice. "So…anything interesting happen at Capsule Corp. lately?" She asked, hoping for a long answer to replace the silence.

                Trunks started and looked up at Marron as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh, uh, nothing really. E-everything's normal for now," he managed to stammer. The poor lavender-haired saiyan was stressed out about the proposal. 'What if she says no? What if I trip up and say something inappropriate? What if—' Trunks mentally kicked himself. 'Damn it, Trunks! Get your act together! Of course she'll say yes! We've been together for as long as I can remember!'

                Marron looked at her long-time boyfriend oddly. He wasn't acting like himself. She was going to ask him what was wrong, but she knew that she probably acted just the same on the outside; nervous, fidgeting, and staring into space, lost in thoughts. 'I'm not going to say anything about it…he'll probably start asking questions about me. Best not to bring it up…' Marron looked across the table again. 'Strange…he never acted this way before…we're usually very comfortable with each other. Uh-oh, what if he really **is **going to propose to me tonight? That'll be hell—'

                A tall waiter suddenly interrupted her thoughts when he brought their food to the table on a tray. "Here you go, sir, madam. Please enjoy your meal."

                Trunks face lit up when he saw the food. Food always helped to ease his tensions. While he and Marron were digging in to their food, Trunks remembered an important fact he had wanted to mention to her tonight. "Oh, I almost forgot! Bra had some exciting news last week," he said.

                "Oh?"

                "Yeah, she told me that Uub proposed to her." He took a bite of his chicken.

                Marron's fork was halfway through its journey to her mouth, but it stopped in midair. "**Really**?Isn't she only, like, seventeen years old?"

                "Sixteen," Trunks replied. "Pan's the one that's seventeen." He gulped down another bite of his food. "Anyways, yeah, she's really young and stuff, but she doesn't care. Says she's got it all figured out. I helped her out a lot, though. She's going to get married after she graduates, and she's already got an engagement party organized. Heh, she's got all that prepared, but she hasn't even told our parents yet."

                Marron put her fork down. All this talk of engagements and marriages was starting to make her more nervous than she already was. "When is she planning on telling them?"

                "At the engagement party. It's on Saturday," he laughed lightly. "It's gonna be one hell of a party!"

                They spent the rest of their dinner talking about Uub and Bra, making Marron more and more nervous about the possibility of Trunks proposing to her when she knew she would refuse if he did. Instead of making Trunks nervous, it actually soothed him when he talked about his sister and her fiancé, because he was certain that when he proposed to Marron, their engagement would probably be as successful and planned out as theirs.

                When they finished eating, a different, shorter waiter picked up their plates and gave them the bill. 'Well, it's now or never…'

                'I'll have to end this relationship…'

                'We're going to start a new life…together…forever.'

                "Trunks—"

                "Marron—"

                "Oh, you go first," Marron said quickly, not wanting to tell him first. She'd rather hear what he had to say before she broke his heart.

                "All right…" Trunks said, preparing himself. He stuck his right hand in his pocket and took the velvet box in his hand once again, getting it ready. His eyes locked on hers and he started talking. "Well, um, as you know, we've been together as a couple for over two years…and we've known each other as friends, almost since birth…I hope that we'll always know each other, and be together forever. So," he got up and stood in front of Marron, "I want to finalize that," he bent down on one knee and took out the ring box, "by giving you this ring."

                People were starting to shift their eyes to their table, knowing that they were witnessing a life-altering moment. 'Oh, no…no, no, no, no, no…' It was too late now. Her fears were confirmed. 'It's going to be worse than I thought.' She looked down at her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, tears already starting to fill her eyes, already knowing the words that would come out of his mouth.

                "Will you marry me?"

                Marron's whole world came crashing down on her and no one knew it but herself.

***

So…How was it? Better than the original? Worse? Tell me in a review, hint hint. I kinda think that it's a little confusing, but that's my opinion. I really worked my ass off to write this chapter (Though it may not seem like it.), so go easy on me. I will try my hardest to write over the next few days, so I can post it. 

Oh, and I don't really know Uub's age, so I don't want any people criticizing about that…

2635 words

Finished July 16, 2003 2:05 AM


	3. Ch 2: Unfaithful

**A Black Rose Revised - Chapter 2: Unfaithful**

**By **YunaAngelofHell

**Current Ages: **Pan-17 | Trunks-27 | Marron-25 | Goten-26 | Bra-16

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill.

                "Nooooooo!! No, no, no! You can't make me! I won't do it! You'll have to kill me first!"

                "Ugh, I will kill you if you keep struggling!"

                Goten sighed. Bra had Pan in a headlock and was dragging her around the local mall to buy a dress for the engagement party. They dragged him along because Pan wanted him to suffer too, ("If I'm going down, you're coming with me!") and Bra said that he needed a suit. He really didn't mind about the suit, but the girls were making a scene. Everyone within a twenty-yard radius was looking at them curiously. Of course Pan was resisting Bra's hold on her with all of her might, but somehow, the blue-haired girl was overpowering her. The demi-saiyan sighed again. This was going to be a looooong day.

                "Bra…let go of me before I kill you!" Pan raged.

"Ha! Like you would do that to your own best friend!" Bra walked into the first of many shops inside the mall, dragging Pan along with her.

                "That's what you think…" Pan took a hold of Bra's arm that was around her neck and twisted it behind her "best friend"'s back. "I'm never gonna wear a dress, I don't care _what _you do to me," Pan whispered menacingly in Bra's ear.

                "Eep! Don't hurt me Pan! I'll do anything you want!"

                Goten groaned. _'I can't believe I'm doing this…' _"Come on, Pan let her go," he rescued Bra from his niece's deadly grip. "Just let her buy you a dress, and you know," he leaned in closer to Pan and spoke quietly so Bra wouldn't hear, "the sooner you buy a dress, the sooner we get out of this hellhole."

                Pan's face lit up. "And it's not like I have to even wear the dress at her party…" she muttered victoriously. When Goten nodded, she grabbed the nearest dress and shoved it in Bra's face. "Hey, I like this one, let's buy it and go home!"

                Bra backed away and gave her a disgusted look. "Eeeeew…even _I _wouldn't want to buy that. Have you no sense of style?"

                "Uhh…" Pan took a closer look at the dress she was holding. "Aargh!" She threw the dress away from her and looked at it as if it was a bomb about to explode. The dress was big, pink, and it had ruffles all over it. Pan shuddered. "I can't believe I even _touched_ that…"

                They left the store, seeing that it was full of pink dresses. Goten was laughing his head off at Pan…until she bonked him on the head with a nearby frying pan.

***

                "Marron…? Are you all right?" Trunks asked, still on his knee, looking up at the woman he loved. _'Uh oh…something's wrong. Why is she looking at me like that?' _Trunks looked down nervously. _'It wasn't supposed to be this way… Why isn't it like what I saw in that movie? Where are the tears of joy? Where are the cheering onlookers? Where's my cheesy music!?'_

Marron looked away, trying to hide her tears. _'No more lies…no more deceit…I have to tell him the truth.' _She sighed. This was _not_ going to be easy. "Trunks…" He looked up. "I have to tell you something…" she glanced around, noticing that every customer in the restaurant was looking at them. "Um, can we go somewhere private…?"

                Knowing that this could be nothing but bad news, Trunks got up from his kneeling position, and pocketed the ring. "Let's go…I'll drop you off at your place…" he muttered emotionlessly. _'That's it, she's going to dump me, it's over,' _he thought. The heart-broken demi-saiyan left 20,000 yen* on the table and silently walked out of the restaurant, Marron trailing behind him. They were both feeling miserable and embarrassed. The people that were watching them returned to their own personal priorities; some were even giving Trunks a sympathetic look. This wasn't what happened during most proposals…

                "Hey Lin, look at the enormous tip we got! I can finally buy that ring for you!" That was the last thing Marron heard before she stepped out in the cool night air.

***

                The car ride to Marron's house was the same as the ride to the restaurant, except this time, there were no words spoken. Only silence.

                Soon, they arrived at their destination. Trunks shut off the engine and sat back in his seat. He looked over at Marron and saw that she was quietly crying. It took all of his will to refrain from putting his arm around her and comfort her. "So what do you have to say to me?…" he said, his voice void of all emotion.

                Marron looked outside the car window, tears flowing freely now. Usually, when she cried, Trunks would embrace her, sooth her with soft, comforting words, and slowly kiss her tears away. Not this time. _'This time,'_ Marron looked over at him. _'This time, his heart is already broken… Why did he have to propose tonight, of all nights?!' _"Trunks…" the blonde woman looked at her hands. "A couple weeks ago…I found out that…I'm in love with someone else," she said slowly.

                Trunks's heart stopped. _'No…Marron…don't do this to me now…I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you…and you do this to me?!' _He remained still. Finally, he managed to croak, "Who…?"

                Marron sniffed. "Goten," she whispered. "And there's something else…I'm…p-pregnant…"

                "Is it mine?"

                "I d-don't know."

                "…"

                "…"

                "Get out."

                "W-what?"

                "Get out of my car."

                "B-but Trunks…"

                "Get out now." Trunks's was dripping with venom…filled with hatred. _'He hates me…I knew this would happen…' _Marron stepped out of his car and ran inside her house, crying freely. She slammed the door behind her and slid down to the floor. _'Why did this have to happen to me…? Why did I have to fall in love with two different men?' _She put her hands in her hands and sobbed.

                "Marron? Is that you?" Eighteen walked over to her daughter and sat next to her. "What's wrong? Did Trunks dump you or something?" she joked.

                Marron sniffed. "You couldn't be more right, Mom…except," she looked up, "I think _I'm _the one who broke up with _him_."

                Eighteen looked surprised. "Wha?! I was just joking, you know. Why'd you dump him," she asked, "He was a good guy for you…I was really looking forward to you marrying him so you could move in with him and start your life as an adult. What, did you fall in love with another guy and have an affair?"

                Marron stared at her. _'How did she do that?'_ "Uh…y-yeah…how'd you know…?"

                Eighteen shrugged and gave her a small smile. "I guess people call it "Mother's Intuition"…"

                The young blonde sighed and looked down at her hands, wet from her tears. "There's more to it…I'm pregnant…and I'm not sure who the father is…" The tears came again. _'How am I going to deal with this…and the baby? It'll never have a father… Trunks hates me now, and Goten probably won't be up for a huge responsibility like a child…'_

                "You're pregnant now, eh? Ugh, I'll have to wake up every hour of the night to the sound of a baby crying all over again…" Eighteen put her head in her hands. "Oh, why does this have to happen to me?"

                "Mom!"

                The older woman smirked. "Just kidding, honey. So, a baby? You know, if you really want to know who the father is, you can take one of those paternity tests. I've seen them do it all the time on television. And if neither of them want to be the father, then screw them, we'll take care of your kid, and I'll think we'll be pretty damn good at it. I mean, look at you, you turned out fine…except this predicament you put yourself in…"

                Marron smiled softly. Her mother just gave her almost all of the solutions to her problems. Goten and Trunks wouldn't disagree to the paternity test once the baby will be born…it wouldn't be that hard to get a doctor to test them, either. Even though Trunks hated her at the moment, she was sure that he would get over it if the child was his, he's a nice man, and he knows how hard it is to have a father that neglected you. _'As for Goten…well, if he doesn't want the kid, then screw him, like she said.' _Marron hugged her mom. "Thanks, Mom. You've helped a lot."

                "No problem. I've been through a million times worse than this. Although, this might get worse when you tell your father…"

***

                When Marron entered her house, Trunks punched the rim of his steering wheel in anger and frustration. _'How could you, Marron?!' _No tears were shed from the prideful saiyan, but his heart was shattered into pieces, nonetheless. He clenched his fists. _'And with my best friend, too!' _There was only one thing to do right now. His only option. Trunks turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. He backed his car from the driveway and drove into the night, on his way to talk to the one person he trusted the most.

***

                "Ooooh, how about this one, Pan?!" Bra held up a red and black dress.

                Pan shook her head. "No, I liked the one before that one better." All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped and fell to her knees. _'Something's wrong…'_

*I think 20,000 yen is like, $200.00, so it's not that jaw-droppingly high.

_Ergh, I think I made 18 a lil OOC in this chapter…oh well. Hoped you liked this chapter, (It took a long time for me to write it..) please review! I really really like reviews, hehe. I know what I'm going to write now, so the updates _might _be more frequent…_


	4. Ch 3: Blinded

A Black Rose Chapter 3 - Blinded 

**By **YunaAngelofHell

**Disclaimer: **One day I'm gonna look back at this and say, '_What the hell was I thinking?!'_

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took sooooo long to update, but I sorta had a block, and I almost quit on this story to start yet another, but I got 2 reviews/threats and I decided, what the hell, I'll update it. I mean, I already wrote more than half of this chapter and I still didn't update. ^^; Sorry…

Warning: This chapter really sucks, so hold your horses until I upload the next chapter and I promise it'll get better! ^^

­            _'Come on…pick up, pick up!' _Trunks thought impatiently.  He drummed his fingers on his countertop, still angry from his earlier encounter with Marron.

_            Riing…Riing…  _Trunks heard a soft _click_ and the person on the receiving end answered.

 "Hello?"

            _'Finally!'  _"Hello? Pan!?"

            "Sorry, Pan's not here right now, she's at the mall with Bra and Goten," Videl answered automatically, as if she were a machine of some sort.  She paused.  "…Trunks? Is that you? What's wrong, you sound a little agitated."

            _'Probably because you didn't answer your damn phone after twenty-five rings!'  _"Uhh…I-I'm okay, Videl," Trunks muttered, covering up his real emotions.  He couldn't take his anger out on innocent people.  "When do you think Pan will be back…I really need to talk to her."

            "Sorry, she didn't tell me, and she usually stays out pretty late when she's with Bra, Goten or even you. Oh, but she does have a new cell phone! Her number is– "

            Trunks slammed the phone back on its receiver.  Pan had already told him her cell phone number ages ago; the very first day she got it.  He didn't even mind that he had just been rude to Videl.  The only thing on his mind right now was Pan.  She would be the only one that would listen to him and make things better.  _'This better work…'_ He picked up the phone again and dialed those seven numbers that would allow him to hear his best friend's voice again…

***

            "Oh my gosh, Pan are you okay?!" Bra screamed.  She dropped the dress she was holding and kneeled down next to her friend.  "What's wrong?"

            Pan coughed.  "I-it's nothing…this has happened before, and I'm still alive today, right?"  She tried to muster a small laugh but it quickly changed into a coughing fit.

            "Pan!"  This time Goten ran over to her and patted her on the back, trying to stop her coughing. "What's happening to you?"

            Suddenly, it stopped.  She regained her composure and stood up, a bit shakily.  "I'm all right…" _'Something's happened… Trunks… —'_

_Ring, ring!  _(I know cell phones usually have more…_creative_ ring tones nowadays, but the only one I know how to spell is the generic, old-fashioned one, lol.)

***

            "Hello?"

            "Pan! Is that you?!"

            Trunks.  "Of course it's me! What's wrong? Are you okay?"  Pan exclaimed, extremely concerned about her friend.  In the past, she had spasms like that when Trunks was emotionally or physically hurt, but never as painful as this one.

            "No," Trunks croaked.  Now that he was speaking to his best friend, the emotional mask was torn away and he was already on the verge of crying his unhappiness away.  "I'm not okay.  Listen, can you come over to my house a soon as possible…?  I really, really need to talk to you," he pleaded.

            "Um, sure Trunks, but it might take a little while, I'm in the mall on the other side of town.  Maybe half an hour…do you mind telling me what this is about?  You sound distressed."

            Trunks sighed, debating on how he would tell her about his problem.  "I'll just tell you when you get here.  It'll take a while just to summarize what I want to say."  At least this way, he had at least thirty minutes to put together his story for presentation…and he would have time to pull himself together.  The tears were threatening to fall right now, as he thought about Marron.  _'I can't let Pan hear me cry…but she's seen me cry before…'_

            "I'm coming over right now then.  I'll see you in thirty?"

            "Yeah, see you Pan."

            Trunks slowly set his phone down in its receiver. _'Get a grip, Trunks,' _he reprimanded himself, _'It's not that bad…' _Yeah.  Right.  The woman he loved cheated on him with his best friend and she was pregnant with a child that may not even be his. Yeah, that's not bad.

            The young saiyan sighed. _'What am I gonna do for thirty minutes…?'  _He walked into his kitchen, opened his refrigerator door, and looked inside. _'Let's see…orange juice, milk, sock, moldy cheese…oh!' _ Trunks smiled lightly as his eyes paused at the beverage that would make him forget his pain…temporarily. 

***

            Pan turned off her cell phone and faced Bra. "I have to go to your brother's house.  It sounds like he has a major problem and I have to talk to him," she said rapidly.  She was slowly edging her way to the doorway of the store.

            "Wait, Pan!"

            The young teenager stopped in her tracks and turned around.  "What?" she asked innocently.

            "We still haven't gotten you a dress for the party yet!  You _have _to get one before you go!" Bra insisted.

            "Come on Bra, let me go! I'm going to help your brother, your own flesh and blood!  Why are you stopping me?" Pan yelled angrily.  _'I have to help Trunks…' _Seeing Bra's hurt look, Pan softened.  "Just buy _that_ dress, it'll do. I like it…sort of," she mumbled, looking at the dress she had rejected earlier.  Looking at it, she felt confused as to why she rejected in the first place.  It was beautiful.

            "What if it doesn't fit? You haven't even tried it on yet," Bra argued.

            "Who cares, I'll never grow taller or fatter anyways, unless I get pregnant or something," Pan said. "I'm gonna go now, see ya!" She ran outside the mall and flew into the air, not caring if any humans saw her.  All that was on her mind was that she sensed Trunks was on the verge of crying; and like her, he never cried about anything unless it was really terrible.

***

            Forty-five minutes later, Pan landed softly in Trunks's front yard.  Tired from her flight, she walked slowly to the door and opened it.  Not surprised that it was unlocked, she walked inside and called Trunks's name.

            "Trunks! You there? It's me, Pan!" She looked around, and, not finding any sign of her friend, she walked to his room a looked inside. "Trunks?!"

            The young saiyan was huddled in a small corner in his room, holding a bottle of vodka, head hidden in his knees. When he looked up, his eyes were moist and bloodshot. This was not the Trunks that Pan knew and loved. "P-panny-chan…? Is that you?" He stood up and walked toward her. "I'm so glad you're here…"

            Pan moved to hug him, but backed up slightly when she smelled his breath. "Ew, Trunks, you shouldn't drink so much!"

            Trunks shrugged. "It takes a while for the alcohol to kick in…" He said, his speech slightly slurred. "Come on, Pan, give me a hug…" Trunks moved towards Pan and wrapped his arms around her. 

            "Err…" Pan faltered, but remembered that he was her friend, and now he was a friend in need. She hugged him back, ignoring the smell of alcohol filling her nostrils. "So," she said as she pulled away, "Why'd you call me over here? You sounded desperate on the phone…"

            Trunks sighed and plopped down on his bed. "Marron was cheating on me. With Goten," he choked up and put his head in his hands. "She was supposed to become my _wife_…"

            Pan sat down next to Trunks and wrapped an arm around him. "Oh my God, how could she do this to you? With your best friend, too! You're one of the nicest men I've ever met," she paused. "You're my best friend, Trunks. Marron wasn't your soul mate. There's someone else out there for you." '_Me.'_

            "But…I loved her so much. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her," Trunks whispered. "How could she choose _him_ over me?"

            "I don't know…" she looked down. _'Anyone would be a fool to give you up…' _She looked down at her best friend, and was startled to see that he was crying. "Trunks…?" Pan had rarely ever seen him cry, much less over a girl. The very handsome saiyan had broken up with so many girls in his life, that she had lost count ages ago. _'Marron must've meant a lot to him.'_ "Don't cry, Trunks, you're going to make me cry too," she said quietly, saddened by his tears.

            Trunks quietly shed his tears while Pan looked on, not knowing what to do. _'If only I could make him forget about her somehow…'_

            "Trunks…" He looked up. "Forget about her. She's hurt you so much, she doesn't deserve your tears." Pan lowered her head and softly kissed his cheek. "I love you," she whispered.

            Trunks jerked away and stared at Pan. _'What the fuck was that?! What the hell was she thinking?! She's my best friend! Best friends don't go around kissing each other and say they love each other!' _There were so many words that wanted to come out of his mouth, but none came.

            "I'm sorry," Pan quickly stammered. She looked down at her hands, cheeks reddening.

            "You love me…?"

            Pan lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Yeah…and not just as a friend, Trunks," she said softly.

            Trunks leaned forward and put his head in his hands, thinking furiously. _'What the fuck? One day I'm the happiest man in the world, about to ask Marron to marry me…now my girlfriend is cheating on me, she has a kid that might not be mine, and my best friend tells me she loves me?!'_

***

Alright, work with me here. I can't write the rest…. If I do, I know it'll suck. Soo…let's just say that they had sex (XD) somehow, and the next chapter will be when they wake up. Okay? Yes, no, maybe so?

 Hmmm….just IGNORE this chapter, and read the rest, ok? I promise it'll get more dramatic and…er, better. See, THIS is why I didn't update for so long! GAH! . *hides in a corner*

(I literally banged my head on my desk after writing this…I mean, it's so…BAD! *runs away screaming*)

**Review**and I'll post in a few weeks. ^^ Next chapter: Waking Up


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